Pop-up activations are here to stay as FMCG brands look to mix-up shopper marketing tactics

By Nick Adams, CEO at Sense

In FMCG, success hinges on more than just having a quality product. With fierce competition and ever-changing consumer preferences, never mind the lasting impact of covid on shopper behaviours, it’s crucial for brands to deploy effective shopper marketing tactics, such as pop-up activations, in order to increase engagement and drive sales. 

Understanding the challenges of communicating with consumers, to the importance of knowing your brand values, to what shopper marketing tactics work for your particular brand, can make all the difference between a brand thriving or surviving.

The lay of the FMCG land

First things first, let’s recognise how the FMCG landscape has evolved.

As various sectors continue to suffer during the cost-of-living crisis, data from the last 12 months by YouGov suggests food and household supplies have experienced the highest increase in spend. Almost half of consumers have spent more on food and beverages (48%), and over a third have increased their spend on household supplies and toiletries (37%). There are thoughts this shift could be due to either increased prices in the supply chain, or consumers preferring to cook at home to save money, but it’s not clear yet.

On top of economic disruption there has also been a shift in consumer sentiment, especially with younger generations. There’s an increased demand for products to mirror attitudes and outlooks, with sustainability being a key consideration. These shifts are causing FMCG brands to break away from traditional shopper marketing tactics to encourage consumer evaluation in their decision making.

The challenges of communication

Pre-covid, it was still relatively easy to target shoppers in supermarkets. However,  research from Barclay’s shows millions of shoppers have permanently switched to ordering groceries exclusively online, seriously impacting how FMCG brands can utilise historic shopper tactics such as ‘retail-tainment’.

Now FMCG brands have been forced to diversify how they engage with consumers as habits change. Brands that may not have originally thought about utilising pop-ups, or spent too much time focusing on price and value messaging over brand, may be more inclined to explore this option to heighten the chance of making an impact on their target audience.

Celebrating pop-up activations

Pop-up experiences have been around for a long time such as Magnum’s Pleasure Stores which first launched in 2014, but we’ve recently seen increasing numbers of pop-ups executed by Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) disruptor brands such as Beauty Pie, through to more traditional retail brands like Walkers and Propercorn. Many pop-ups are taking place in central London, where brands are able to engage with target audiences and avoid the cost and competition of being stocked in a supermarket.

A Google survey found brands that had experimented with pop-up shops, reported a 46% increase in sales, a 51% rise in market visibility, 66% greater brand awareness, and a 46% spike in social-media engagement compared to when they didn’t have a pop-up. With results like these it may seem like a no brainer to take this route. However this isn’t right for every brand and there is a need to strike a balance between what shopper tactic to deploy when, and where to communicate effectively with a target audience.

Choose your shopper tactics wisely

The right tactic not only depends on when and where, but also on a brand’s objectives.

Pop-ups work well for brands who want to deliver a theatrical moment for their target audience and interest is driven by the fact the experience is only going to be there for a short time, so people don’t want to miss out. McVities leaned into this when it delivered the cuddle café – a pop-up for two days where tea and biscuits were provided in exchange for a cuddle. This brought the brand to life in a visible and authentic way, creating positive sentiment as a result.

If pop-ups aren’t the right fit, then consider something on a larger scale like a big brand experience event. These work well for brands who want to raise awareness with a target audience group in an area with high footfall.  They provide the opportunity to leave a lasting impression based on the creativity of the event while also clearly communicating a brand’s messaging. Live events can also create more of a community atmosphere around the brand, playing into certain generational desires for those who want to feel part of something bigger than just picking a product up off the shelf. It’s here where loyalty starts pulling through.

Despite supermarkets not being frequented as much as they used to be, if a brand’s objective is purely to drive sales, switch at shelf and achieve brand penetration, then a retail experiential event is the right tactic. Hard-working sales mechanics, whether placed in the car park or a foyer of a supermarket, will still have an impact but it’s clear to see experiential plays an important role across each one.

One size doesn’t fit all

It’s easy to look at a competitor or the latest disruptor brand and copy their shopper marketing tactics but that’s not the best solution.

Each brand has its own messaging, budget, goals and target audience. A bespoke plan must be designed to heighten the chances of engagement with its target audience and maximise ROI.

It’s also important to bear in mind shopper tactics don’t have to work in silos either – they can work well together. Tony’s Chocolonely and Ben & Jerry’s collaboration celebrating their ‘Chocolate Love A-Fair’ range is a great example of this. This campaign saw a dual approach from the brand with a high-impact live pop-up takeover in central London. Alongside the pop-up shop, the partnership was also leveraged through multiple in-store touch points, including on pack.

Even though shopper behaviour has changed in recent years brands shouldn’t disregard shopper tactics such as retail-tainment if it’s the right tactic to achieve specific goals. There is a need for a variety of shopper marketing tactics to capture and respond to the wide range of consumer shopper habits seen today. It’s just about choosing the right tactic, at the right time, in the right place.